In short: wildlife production along with public recreation. However, the agency is also charged with maintaining areas with adequate habitat where hunters feel like they have a reasonable chance to harvest game. The fallout is the lack of nesting, fawning and brood-rearing cover, fewer protein-rich insects needed by young, hungry upland birds the first month of life, and a lack of water in the form of both dew and surface water.Īs an agency, Game and Fish is most concerned with managing specific areas to benefit wildlife and ensure the best possible hunting opportunities. While it appears we were fairly fortunate that most wildlife survived winter, the next hurdle is getting through the dry conditions, which can be just as difficult. So what does this crazy weather mean for the state’s wildlife? It’s not helpful. It seemed like the stage was set for a good year. By March, much of the snow was gone, with most places hardly showing a puddle of proof that some areas received record snowfall in December.įast forward to spring where all we needed were good rains to get some surface moisture to match the subsoil moisture in most areas. Temperatures increased, and snow gradually started melting in late January. But just when many conversations were taking shape in coffee shops across North Dakota that winter 2016-17 was going to wind up as the worst on record, it stopped snowing. North Dakota is well known for wild weather swings, but the end of 2016, and so far into 2017, is about as weird as weather can get.Īs a beautiful November ended last fall, December arrived with a mission, a seemingly singular focus to make things miserable for critters and citizens of the state.įor more than a month, the weather did indeed test the resiliency of anything living. Most North Dakotans will remember 2017 as a time when drought returned to the state.